The latest in a series of releases explores non-EEA migrants' journeys through the UK's immigration system
The Home Office yesterday published its fifth 'migrant journey' report.
You can read it here.
The report is the latest in a series of releases that explore migrants' journeys through the UK's immigration system.
It provides evidence on the behaviour of non-EEA migrants entering the immigration system for the 6 main routes of entry to the UK and aims to inform understanding of the processes that those migrants go through when they decide to stay in the UK or switch their status.
Drawing on data from two UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) databases, which hold records of individuals granted entry clearance visas and any subsequent grants of extensions of stay in the UK, the report lists the following key facts:
• Twenty per cent (18,359) of those issued skilled work visas (with a potential path to settlement) in the 2008 cohort had been granted settlement 5 years later and a further 8% (6,912) still had valid leave to remain
• Indian nationals were issued the largest proportion (39%) of skilled work visas in the 2008 cohort and, of these skilled Indian nationals, 19% had received settlement after 5 years, while a further 7% still had valid leave to remain
• Of the top 5 nationalities issued skilled work visas in the 2008 cohort, American and Australian nationals on work visas were less likely to have settled after 5 years (13%) whereas Chinese nationals were more likely to have settled (38% of Chinese skilled workers had reached settlement by 2013)
• More than three-quarters of people (77% or 32,607) issued family visas in the 2008 cohort had been granted settlement 5 years later with a further 4% recorded as still having valid leave to remain. Of the top 5 nationalities issued family visas in the 2008 cohort, Somalis were the least likely to have settled after 5 years (43%) and Bangladeshi (93%), Pakistani (88%) and Indian nationals (87%) were the most likely.
• Migrants granted student and work visas (not leading to settlement), both largely temporary migration routes, were less likely to have either achieved settlement or have valid leave to remain after 5 years (16% and 6% respectively). Of these, only a small proportion had achieved settlement (1% and 2% respectively) within the 5-year timeframe, due to the rules for these visa categories, their propensity to switch into other immigration categories with a route to settlement and the time that would then need to elapse before a settlement application can be made.
• Migrants granted family visas in the 2008 cohort (81%) were more likely to achieve either settlement or have valid leave to remain after 5 years compared to earlier cohorts (68% in the 2004 cohort). This trend is reversed for those granted a skilled work visa, work visa (not leading to settlement), study and visit visas, where migrants in the most recent 2008 cohort are less likely to have reached settlement or have valid leave to remain compared to earlier cohorts. The period covered will include the recent economic recession, which may have reduced the likelihood of such migrants seeking to remain longer in the UK.
• Of those granted settlement in the 2013 cohort, almost half had originally been issued a family or skilled work visa which could potentially lead to settlement and 14 percent were granted settlement on arrival. Over a third (37%) originally entered on a temporary route and later switched into a route that led to permanent settlement.
You can also access a user guide for the report here and you can access the data tables separately here.